1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to construction compositions, systems, and methods and, more particularly, to such compositions, systems, and methods for walls.
2. Description of Related Art
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world at present, comprising portland cement, water, fine and coarse aggregates, and a small amount of air. Portland cement is a mixture of tricalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, and dicalcium silicate, with small amounts of magnesium and iron compounds and sometimes gypsum.
Concrete mixtures are usually specified in terms of the dry-volume ratios of cement, sand, and coarse aggregates; for example, a 1:2:3 mixture consists of one part cement, two parts sand, and three parts coarse aggregate by volume. These proportions are variable for producing desired properties, such as strength and durability. The amount of water added is about 1-1.5 times the volume of the cement.
Concrete may be cast in place, prefabricated, or sprayed onto a surface using the shotcrete method. When concrete is sprayed from both sides onto a lattice of steel posts woven with bands of steel and paper, it is referred to as gunnite.
Cement, however, is not an environmentally neutral material. In the manufacture of cement, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, and cement kilns burn hazardous waste, being a source of dioxins and mercury emissions into the atmosphere. Cement is an energy-intensive construction material, and its production produces malignant particulate matter, a presumptive cause of increased rates of cancer, asthma, lung disease, and skin disease in cement workers. Cement also pollutes water, with wash water from ready-mix plants highly alkaline and containing toxic cement kiln dust.
Kellert (U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,973) teaches the spraying of concrete onto a wire-screen-enmeshed insulation panel for modular building construction. Artzer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,067) discloses a lightweight structural panel comprising a plastic filler reinforced by wire lattice structures, compressed, and coated with a substance such as concrete or plastic. Chun (U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,288) describes a panel formed of wire meshes joined by wires and backing, insulation material sprayed onto the panels, and wall covering applied over the insulation. Kavanaugh (U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,962) teaches the spraying of polyurethane foam between I-beam flanges and then applying a fiberglass-cement mixture to form a surface. Hammond (U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,046) discloses a panel comprising a foam core with a thin coating of plastic resin or acrylic and portland cement for structural rigidity.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a construction composition that is low cost and aesthetically pleasing.
It is a further object to provide such a composition that incorporates indigenous materials.
It is another object to provide such a composition that is not labor-intensive to install.
It is an additional object to provide a structure incorporating the construction composition.
It is yet a further object to provide a method of making a construction composition.
It is yet another object to provide a method of making a structure incorporating the construction composition.
It is yet an additional object to provide a composition and method for recycling flyash into a useful construction composition.
It is yet also an object to provide compositions for slab and tile materials.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, a construction composition consisting essentially of soil, from about 12 to about 14 parts; water, from about 3 to about 4 parts; flyash, from about 2 to about 4 parts; and cement, from about 1 to about 2 parts.
The invention also includes a wall structure comprising a frame structure that comprises a plurality of spaced-apart frame elements and a support structure affixed to the spaced-apart elements to form an interior space. A core material resides within the support structure interior space, and the above-described overlay composition is applied to an exterior surface of the support structure.
The invention further includes a method of constructing a building element comprising the steps of erecting a frame structure comprising a plurality of spaced-apart frame elements and affixing a support structure to the frame elements to form an interior space. A core material is inserted into the support structure interior space, and the overlay composition is applied to an exterior surface of the support structure.
The invention additionally comprises embodiments of the composition for use in slabs and tiles.
The composition of the present invention uses 20-50% of the total amount of cement required in standard concrete mixtures known in the art.
The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of construction, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.